3 ms·

See http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_use http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_use Total petroleum products: 19.531 (mil

See http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_use http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_use Total petroleum products: 19.531 (million barrels/day) Of which, deleting fuels, Asphalt and road oil 0.343 Petrochemical feedstocks 0.331 Lubricant 0.138 Miscellaneous products and others 0.089 Waxes 0.006 which sum to 0.907 If the oil industry existed solely for non-fuel uses, it would be extremely tiny, and probably entirely domestic. It would not be large enough to fund any new deep or complex drilling, and nor would it be large enough to fund even the fixed costs of existing wells.

deleted 10y ago
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sbov 10y ago
That chart seems odd. From what I'm aware of, not all parts of "oil" are used for the same thing. E.g. before the internal combustion engine, gasoline was an unwanted byproduct of creating kerosene, and was usually dumped into the environment by refiners.
- maxerickson 10y ago
  Modern refineries work a lot harder to shift their output towards the most valuable markets. Look at all the steps with some output to gasoline on the right: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_refinery#Flow_diagram_of_typical_refinery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_refinery#Flow_diagram_of_t...
throwaway5752 10y ago
"Petrochemical feedstocks" means plastic and Haber process nitrogenous fertilizers. Lubricants is probably substantially motor oils, but even Teslas have gearboxes and sealed parts (stearing, suspension, etc) that require lubricant. Same for general industry (regardless of input energy source).
vonmoltke 10y ago
You deleted far more than just fuels. "Hydrocarbon gas liquids", "Still gas", "Special napthas", and "Kerosene" include significant non-fuel uses. Those bring the total as high as 3.390, though it is impossible to determine from that chart how much is fuel use. Also, keep in mind that some fuel uses, such as welding/soldering gasses, don't have an effective replacement at this time. Cutting fuel use to 0 at this juncture is effectively impossible.
- JulianMorrison 10y ago
  One way or the other the conclusion is the same, though. The oil industry would have to radically shrink, even if it would probably not go away.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

sbov 10y ago

That chart seems odd. From what I'm aware of, not all parts of "oil" are used for the same thing. E.g. before the internal combustion engine, gasoline was an unwanted byproduct of creating kerosene, and was usually dumped into the environment by refiners.

maxerickson 10y ago
Modern refineries work a lot harder to shift their output towards the most valuable markets. Look at all the steps with some output to gasoline on the right: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_refinery#Flow_diagram_of_typical_refinery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_refinery#Flow_diagram_of_t...

throwaway5752 10y ago

"Petrochemical feedstocks" means plastic and Haber process nitrogenous fertilizers. Lubricants is probably substantially motor oils, but even Teslas have gearboxes and sealed parts (stearing, suspension, etc) that require lubricant. Same for general industry (regardless of input energy source).

vonmoltke 10y ago

You deleted far more than just fuels. "Hydrocarbon gas liquids", "Still gas", "Special napthas", and "Kerosene" include significant non-fuel uses. Those bring the total as high as 3.390, though it is impossible to determine from that chart how much is fuel use. Also, keep in mind that some fuel uses, such as welding/soldering gasses, don't have an effective replacement at this time. Cutting fuel use to 0 at this juncture is effectively impossible.

JulianMorrison 10y ago
One way or the other the conclusion is the same, though. The oil industry would have to radically shrink, even if it would probably not go away.